As a part of the Leader Development and Assessment Course, Rebecca Walker and other cadets were tested and trained in water confidence courses.

Ducking under clouds of green smoke, weaving around a spray of machine gun fire on the battlefield and dodging grenade explosions are just a few of the obstacles Auburn ROTC cadet Rebecca Walker faced while participating in the Leader Development and Assessment Course at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., this summer. The program is a staged training exercise designed to help cadets respond to incoming fire with M-69 practice hand grenades.

Walker is a Major General James Ursano Scholarship recipient.

During the 29-day program, Walker, a senior at Auburn, was evaluated in numerous leadership positions and was trained and tested on squad activities such as physical fitness, field leadership and reaction, repelling, water confidence, land navigation, basic rifle marksmanship and grenade assault. The Leader Development and Assessment Course is required for Army ROTC cadets who will commission as Second Lieutenant officers after their college graduation.

"It helps us make quick decisions," said Walker. "That's imperative to being a leader. You've got to be quick and think on your feet."

Walker, a Peachtree City, Ga., native, earned a four-year Army ROTC scholarship to Auburn and was recently elected vice president and team captain for Auburn's women's lacrosse team. She credits her father for her interest in serving her country.

"My father was an officer in the United States Army, instilling in me the importance of respect, patriotism and responsibility at an early age," said Walker. "Because of his career in the military, I had the opportunity to live in four different states, which exposed me to many different types of people and cultures."

Walker serves as vice president and team captain for Auburn’s women’s lacrosse team.

Walker is currently stationed in Fort Jackson, S.C., for Cadet Troop Leading Training as a Platoon Leader where she will help transform a civilian into a soldier in nine weeks.

"This is a very rare and exciting opportunity for me because Cadet Troop Leading Training is a very hands-on experience where I not only get to teach the things I've learned over the past three years in ROTC to young soldiers, but also learn to about the relationship between non-commissioned officers and junior officers," Walker said.

As an economics major with a minor in military science, she hopes to ultimately become a career, active duty Military Intelligence Officer for the U.S. Army.

— By Lindsay Miles, Office of Communications and Marketing; and Tim Oberle, Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Army Cadet Command